This disclosure relates generally to timing information in a data processing system and more specifically to timing information associated with identification of thread progress information.
Existing computational environments, including Java® virtual machines, capture and allow users to observe a wealth of information describing a current state of a process as the process executes. This information is available through console output, output to files, javacores (text files containing diagnostic information related to the virtual machine and a Java application captured at a point during execution), snapshots of a process (core files), JVMTI (a programming interface for use by tools, providing a way to inspect a state and to control execution of a process) and monitoring and diagnostic tools readily available. The state information often includes information about threads and whether the threads are blocked waiting on a monitor, sleeping, running in a native, running Java code as well as other conditions.
Information relevant to describing state and state related information as the threads execute over time is not available to correctly inform an observer. Accordingly misconceptions regarding a thread may be made and resulting actions may be incorrect.